Fireworks
by Millemini
Summary: Annie can't understand why Auggie turns into a hermit on New Years Eve. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Just a little story that came to me while I was standing outside, watching the fireworks at midnight on New Years Eve. This will not be a long multi-chap story, but I do have ideas for another couple of chapters. :o)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Covert Affairs. Would love to own Auggie - or Chris Gorham for that matter, Anel sure is a lucky woman! ;o)**

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><p><strong><span>Fireworks<span>**

"Please Auggie! It'll be a quiet night at my sister's house, with good food and generous offerings of nice wine. Chloe and Katia will be over the moon."

"Sorry Annie. My answer is still no."¨

"I really don't understand why you insist on being a hermit on New Years Eve."

Auggie sighed. Annie was one of the most persistent people he knew and when she set her mind on something she usually got what she wanted. This time he wasn't about to give in. He was embarrassed to tell her the truth; even if she was his best friend and one of the people he trusted the most. He would not reveal the embarrassing truth about why he was a hermit on New Years Eve at the office, he never knew who might be listening.

"I'm just tired and want to spend the weekend relaxing at home."

"Come on Aug."

"No Annie. Tell Danielle I appreciate the invitation. Now, I've got to get back to work, I'd like to be able to get out of here at a decent hour tonight."

"I've got a report to finish up too. See you later."

Annie briefly patted Auggie's shoulder and headed back to her desk.

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><p>A couple of hours later Annie wrapped up her report and pulled up the IM application on her computer and sent a message to Auggie.<p>

_A_Walker: Hey, want a ride home?_

_Auggie.A: Sure. Give me about 15 minutes and I'm ready, ok?_

_A_Walker: No problem! _

_Auggie.A: Thanks! You're a star! Wanna share a pizza at my place?_

_A_Walker: Throw in a six-pack and you're on! Get back to work so we can get out of here!_

_Auggie.A: You're the one distracting me with messages. ;-)_

_-Auggie.A is BUSY-_

_A_Walker: Funny! _

_Auggie.A: What part of BUSY didn't you understand ? Now let me finish this cipher with no more interruptions._

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><p>20 minutes later Annie logged off her computer, locked up her files, grabbed her car keys and headed into the Tech Ops office where Auggie seemed to have finished his work.<p>

"Hey, ready to go?"

"Yep!" Auggie placed his laser cane in the desk drawer and got his folded up white cane out, then he locked the drawer and slipped his keys back into his pocket. A few minutes later they were settled into Annie's car, headed for Auggie's place. Auggie swallowed and took a deep breath. He decided it was time to tell Annie, he just had to get it off his chest. She was his best friend and one of the very few people he trusted enough to share something this personal with.

"Annie, I wanna tell you something, but you've gotta promise me that it stays between us. It's not something I wanna hear around the water cooler."

"I promise, you know I would never betray your trust Aug." Annie reached over and squeezed his hand.

"The reason I'm a hermit on New Years Eve, or the Fourth of July for that matter, is the fireworks. The sound reminds me of Iraq and causes anxiety attacks; it's PTSD. If I'm in DC I just drug myself on anti-anxiety meds and sleep pills and go to bed. Only a few people know; Joan, my doctors, Mom and Dad and now you." He hung his head and started fidgeting with his cane; he seemed embarrassed by what he'd just admitted.

"Oh Auggie, I'm sorry, I had no idea. I didn't mean to push. Isn't it easier if you have someone with you?"

"Of course, but I'm not about to go to Glencoe and I doubt that Joan would appreciate spending New Years Eve holding my hand because I'm scared of fireworks."

"I'll come over."

"Huh?" Auggie's eyes were wide with surprise.

"If you'd like company and don't wanna leave your place I'll come over. We can make a nice meal, maybe watch a movie, play a board game or just hang out. Whatever you want."

"Seriously? You'd skip your sister's party to hold my hand?"

"I won't be able to enjoy myself knowing that you're alone and miserable in your apartment. What kind of best friend would allow that?"

"Thanks Annie. Company would be nice," he said sincerely. For the first time since he lost his sight he was actually looking forward to New Years Eve.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's 2nd part of my little New Years story with Auggie & Annie. The third and final chapter will probably be up this weekend.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Covert Affairs, Annie or Auggie. **

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><p><span>-Chapter 2-<span>

It was New Years Eve and Auggie was trying to prepare for his evening with Annie. Unfortunately a someone in his neighborhood, probably kids, had taken it upon themselves to celebrate all evening long and fireworks had been going off for the past couple of hours. He'd taken a small dose of his meds and between that and prepping for Annie's arrival he'd been able to keep his focus away from the fireworks. It was getting harder and the fireworks seemed to be picking up. In a moment of clarity he checked the time. Only 15 minutes 'til Annie was due to arrive. He gingerly crossed his living room and unlocked the door so it was open before he made his way to his bedroom; it was the room farthest away from the park where the fireworks were going off. He climbed into the bed and buried under the covers. His thick feather duvet muffled the sound of the fireworks a little bit. He felt like an idiot and was mortified by the thought of Annie seeing him like this, but if he was to keep somewhat sane he didn't have a choice.

Annie was walking down the hallway to Auggie's apartment. She'd cursed when she saw the teenagers shooting fireworks in the park a block down from Auggie's place and was worried about her best friend. She made it to his door and knocked a couple of times. No answer. She knocked again, a little harder this time. Still no answer. She pulled the handle and the heavy door slid open. She peeked inside, no sign of Auggie, so she entered and closed and locked the door behind her.

"Auggie?" Annie called out as she deposited her bag and the bag of food she was carrying next to Auggie's cane and keys on the kitchen island. The cane being here meant that Auggie was there, he never went anywhere without it. Her initial thought was that he was in the bathroom, but the door was half open. She peeked into the bedroom and instantly saw Auggie's form under the covers. "Oh shit!" she thought, the fireworks had obviously caused her best friend to suffer already and it was only 8:30 at night.

"Auggie," she said softly as she crossed the floor and sat down on the opposite side of the bed. There was slight movement under the duvet. "Aug, it's Annie. Are you ok? Can I do anything to help you?" No answer, just a groan and a small movement. She put her hand on his shoulder. He jerked away at first, then there was more movement and a familiar head appeared from under the duvet. Auggie's hair was sticking out in odd angles and his eyes were wide with fear. "Annie?"

"Yeah, it's me Aug. What can I do? I wanna help you, but you got to let me know what I can do for you."

Another round of fireworks went off and Auggie disappeared beneath the covers again. Annie quickly slipped off her stilettoes and climbed into bed behind Auggie. She stroked his back soothingly with one hand and eventually she felt some tension leaving his body, but he was obviously on edge.

"Can I get you anything? Do you want to take another dose of your meds?"

Auggie nodded. "Where are they?"

"Medicine cabinet, top shelf, right side."

"How many?"

"Two."

"Got it. I'll be right back."

"Thanks Annie."

Half an hour later the kids had run out of fireworks and Auggie's anti-anxiety medication had kicked in. Auggie was sitting on one of the stools by the kitchen island while Annie was puttering around his kitchen, heating up the meal Danielle had insisted on making for them.

"That smells delicious Annie."

"Danielle made it. She insisted that if we were missing her party we should at least have a decent meal. She knows I'm not much of a cook and I guess she doesn't have too much faith in your cooking skills either."

"She might be right about my cooking skills, or more like lack of that."

"I don't know about that Aug. You do make a mean lasagna and your beef casserole is great."

"Well, thanks Annie. I still think your caterer sister has the upper hand in the cooking department."

"Don't sell yourself short there Anderson." Annie said with a teasing grin. "Now, I hope you're ready for a meal a-la Danielle."

"I'm actually starving." Auggie said as Annie placed a plate in front of him and tapped a fork against the back of his right hand.

"Beef at six, veggies at two and potatoes at ten o'clock."

"Thanks," Auggie said as he grabbed the fork.

"What do you want to drink? I'm guessing your meds doesn't go well with alcohol?"

"Just a glass of water, thanks."

They finished the meal in and then settled down on Auggie's sofa and watched a movie. They'd decided to watch something they'd both seen before and they didn't really pay too much attention to it. They were more engaged in their conversation and for a while the few fireworks that went off merely caused Auggie to flinch. As midnight approached Annie sensed that his tension was growing.

"Aug?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Would it be easier if we just went to bed before midnight?"

"Um..yes, but that wouldn't be fair to you. It's New Years Eve for crying out loud." Auggie sighed and hung his head with embarrassment.

"I'm actually getting tired and I don't mind at all Auggie. I don't care about the fireworks or watching the ball drop. I care about my best friend."

"Annie… You don't have to stay here with me, you can still make it to your sister's place before midnight."

"Sheesh Aug, how many times do we have to have this conversation? I WANT to be here with you, nowhere else. Now, can I please borrow a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt?"

Auggie got up from his seat and headed to the bedroom. A couple of minutes later he returned carrying a pair of charcoal pajama pants and a light gray t-shirt.

"If you insist," he said as he held the clothes out in Annie's direction. Annie got up and took them from him.

"Thanks Auggie," she said and headed to the bedroom to get changed.

As midnight got closer they were comfortable in Auggie's bed. Annie had curled up against Auggie's side with her head on his shoulder. Under other circumstances he would have found the intimate position awkward, but at the moment he didn't mind having his best friend next to him. He was just thankful that he had Annie in his life, this amazing woman that cared enough about him to give up a great party to spend New Years Eve with him and make sure he was ok.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the final chapter to this little story. Was originally planned to be a one-shot, but the muse got a bit out of control. :o)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I just like playing with Annie & Auggie. :o)**

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

On New Years Day Auggie woke up with a warm body curled up next to him, it took him a few seconds and a whiff of Jo Malone Grapefruit to realize it was Annie. She was lying on her side and he felt her back against his arm. Her calm, even breathing indicated that she was fast asleep. Nature was calling and Auggie sat up and quietly got out of bed and into the bathroom. After washing his hands he slipped out of the bathroom through the door leading to the living room and headed for the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. He felt a bit groggy from the anti-anxiety medication that had gotten him through the previous night and hoped a couple of mugs of strong coffee would wake him up.

Annie woke up about 15 minutes later. After a moment of disorientation she remembered where she was. She was at Auggie's, in Auggie's bed. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head. She realized his bed was incredibly comfortable, she hadn't slept this well in a long time and almost felt like laying back down and curl up beneath the Egyptian cotton sheets that smelled clean and faintly of Auggie's cologne. She hoped it wasn't the last time she shared a bed with Auggie and that the next time they shared a bed it would be less like a kiddie sleepover. She pushed the thoughts out of her head and got out of bed. The smell of fresh brewed coffee coming from the kitchen was tempting.

Auggie was sitting on his sofa with a mug of coffee cradled in one hand, lost in thoughts. He'd realized a while ago that his feelings for Annie were beyond the friendship zone, that her wanted to be more than his best friend. He'd started playing with the idea that having Annie Walker as his girlfriend would be perfect. To be completely honest he'd kind of fallen for Annie the day he met her, when she asked about his headphones and not his useless eyes. She'd never been awkward or insecure around him the way most new people tended to be. She'd just accepted this blindness as part of him and over the past two years she'd become the closest friend he'd ever had. Annie was too important for him to lose, he didn't want to risk their friendship and he'd pushed his emotions away. Waking up with Annie sleeping in his bed had woken those feelings he'd worked so hard to keep dormant.

"Morning handsome!" Annie's teasing voice startled Auggie for a second.

"Good morning sleepy! There's fresh coffee ready if you want some."

"Thanks!" Annie said as she headed to the coffeemaker. A few moments later she joined Auggie on the sofa.

"So, how are you doing today Augs? Was last night bearable?"

"I'm fine. Last night was more than bearable. Thanks Annie," he said sincerely.

"That's what friends are for. You gotta get better at asking for help and support when you need it, you don't have to go through everything alone you." Annie grabbed his free hand and squeezed it.

"I know…" Auggie said in a low voice. "I've never been very good at asking for help and when this happened," he pointed to his eyes," I worked so hard to be independent and not rely on other people. I might take it a bit too far sometimes and to be completely honest I haven't really had that many people to ask for help until you came into my life. I promise to work on it."

"I know you like to keep things close to the vest; that you're a very private person and I respect that. I just wish you'd open up a bit more to me. You can trust me."

"I know I can trust you and you're actually one of the people I trust implicitly Annie. You know that. I've always been a private person and with the years of training in secrecy on top of that…" Auggie trailed off.

"I get that, I totally do. But just remember, I'm here and I'm a pretty good listener."

Auggie didn't answer; he just gave Annie's hand a squeeze. He seemed to thinking about something.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry," he said after a few minutes of silence.

"Now that you mention it, so am I."

"What time is it?"

"10:30. Why?"

"The café down the block opens at 11. Lets shower and get dressed and head down there for brunch. My treat as a thank you for last night."

"Sounds great. Um, Auggie?"

"Yeah, what?"

"I didn't really plan on spending the night here and I don't think the cocktail dress I was wearing last night is very 'brunch-at-the-café' appropriate."

"You don't wanna do a 'walk-of-shame' with me?" Auggie teased with a smirk crossing his features.

Annie let a small laugh escape her lips; she actually wouldn't mind doing a 'walk-of-shame' with Auggie. In a spur of the moment she said the words out loud.

"Actually Auggie, I wouldn't mind doing a 'walk-of-shame' with you at all, but we didn't do anything that qualifies for one. Don't wanna give your favorite waitress any ideas. Do you have a pair of sweats and another t-shirt I could borrow? I have a change of underwear and my emergency toiletry bag in my tote bag."

"Sure, but if you check the bottom drawer of my dresser I think there's a pair of your jeans and a sweater there."

"What? When did I leave clothes here?"

"That time you spilled soup all over yourself last winter, remember?"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot all about that."

"Me too. I put it in with my laundry and when it was returned from the laundry service you were away on a mission. I put it in the dresser and it just slipped my mind. Out of sight out of mind. Well, so-to-speak." All of a sudden Auggie seemed to be thinking about something and a few moments later he looked like he'd just had an epiphany. "Wait, Annie what did you say before? Did you say that you wouldn't mind doing a 'walk-of-shame' with me? Did you mean that?"

"I mean it Auggie."

Annie couldn't believe the look of pure happiness that spread across Auggie's handsome face. His grin was broader than she'd ever seen and his eyes lit up. He reached out and found her shoulder, then traced her neck up to her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss.

_-The End-_


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